Based on the 2019 double Grammy Award–winning “Voices of Mississippi: Artists and Musicians Documented by William Ferris,” the program features live musical performances integrated with film, audio recordings and rare photographs by folklorist William “Bill” Ferris, who will serve as host for the evening.
The show features musicians Ruthie Foster and Luther and Cody Dickinson of the North Mississippi Allstars, Sharde Thomas and Chris Mallory, all of whom have deep ties to Mississippi and artists documented by Ferris.
A historian with a proud egalitarian lens, Ferris studied Mississippi as a slice of humanity in which everyone and everything was interconnected—and in which the beating heart of broader cultural traditions could be found in some of the most overlooked figures and places. From the 1960s through the 1990s, Ferris created an invaluable archive of cultural and musical treasures, and much of that art and humanity will be shared in this unique concert experience.
With a broad array of photos, film clips, stories and live music, “Voices of Mississippi” paints a powerful picture of a unique time and place that remains an essential piece of the American cultural fabric.